B.2.

5 STRENGTHENING AGRICULTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT ~

A PROPOSAL FOR INTERVENTIONS TO ALLEVIATE THE KEY BINDING CONSTRAINTS TO THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN CARICOM COUNTRIES

2005

B.2.5 STRENGTHENING AGRICULTURE FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT ~ A PROPOSAL FOR INTERVENTIONS TO ALLEVIATE THE KEY BINDING CONSTRAINTS TO THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN CARICOM COUNTRIES

1:

Executive Summary:

In an effort to enhance the positioning of Agriculture in domestic and export markets, President Bharrat Jagdeo, CARICOM Head with Lead responsibility for agriculture is spearheading a process that seeks to achieve a resurgence of the regional agricultural potential. This process involves the identification of key critical constraints affecting agriculture in the region and the crafting of programs and strategies for their alleviation. An interim submission, titled Strengthening Regional Agriculture for Sustainable Growth and Development was tabled at the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community for their consideration at its Twenty-Fifth Meeting in Grand Anse, St. Georges, Grenada in July 2004. The importance of developing strategies that seek improved international competitiveness for the CARICOM agri-food and agri-product complex is a given. Indeed, significant effort and financial resources have been devoted to this end over the past 20 or so years. Unfortunately, the results have, by and large, not achieved the major objectives of reducing the regional food import bill, creating a climate attractive and enabling increased private and public sector investment and enhancing agri-business stakeholders participation in domestic and export markets. The very limited outcome can be partly attributed to less than effective policies at the national levels and not sufficiently coordinated implementation framework at the national and regional level. In the context of new and changing international developments and environment, continuing modest results from agriculture are not acceptable. A new and fundamentally different approach is needed. This underscores the intention on the part of Heads of Government, to engage more actively in the process of agricultural development in the Region. At their Twenty-Fifth Meeting, Heads of Government agreed that there is need for a different strategy and endorsed a process that would allow for its development, based on consultations at the national and regional levels with key policy makers, planners and agricultural stakeholders between Ministers of Agriculture and their officials, the private sector, civil society and agricultural development organizations.

This stage of the consultative process culminated with a meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Agriculture of the Alliance in January 2005. The presentation from President Jagdeo which represents the end product of this consultative process is intended to jump-start a much wider and more involved process for agricultural repositioning. The Proposal visualises a sector that, no later than 2015, has: a. made substantial progress towards contributing significantly to national and regional development and to economic, social and environmental sustainability; b. a transparent regulatory framework at national and regional levels, that promotes and facilitates investment and attracts (direct and indirect) inflows of capital; c. significantly transformed its processes and products and stimulated the innovative entrepreneurial capacity of Caribbean agricultural and rural communities; and d. enabled the region (as a whole) to achieve an acceptable level of food security that is not easily disrupted by natural and or manmade disasters. The Proposal takes full cognizance of the range of key binding constraints identified during the consultative process that inter alia highlighted the following: Limited financing and inadequate levels of new investments; Deficient and uncoordinated risk management measures Fragmented and disorganized private sector; Inadequate research and development; Outdated and inefficient agricultural health and food safety (AHFS) systems; Weak land and water distribution and management systems; Inadequate transportation systems, particularly for perishables; Weak and non-integrated information and intelligence systems; Weak linkages and participation of producers in growth market segments Lack of skilled and quality human resources;

The need for action, through a number of interventions is summarized under broad themes as follows:

1. Financial, Physical and Institutional Arrangements that underpin the enabling business environment; 2. Expanding supply capacity and competitiveness 3. Strengthening of Private Sector Organizations in agriculture, including farmers and commodity associations, as a medium to facilitate, develop and empower entrepreneurial capacity throughout the value chain; and 4. Efficient Resource Management, as a prerequisite for economic, social and environmental sustainability. However, it emphasizes that this Proposal for interventions: 1. finds its legitimacy in the Regional Transformation Programme for Agriculture (RTP), established through Articles 56 and 57 of the Revised Treaty and which has as its main objective: the fundamental transformation of the agricultural sector towards market oriented, internationally competitive and environmental sound production of agricultural products. 2. is not an attempt at a comprehensive reform of the RTP for Agriculture Rather, it recognizes that progress within a CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME) requires that we operationalise the RTP (with appropriate adjustments as necessary); 3. incorporates and builds on previous actions, such as, the Alliance for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu (1998), the Caribbean Development Banks symposium on the Repositioning of Regional Agriculture (2002), the FAO Food Security Project (2003), and the OECS Policy and Plan of Action (2003/2004). 4. does not attempt to treat with the traditional sub-sectors of sugar, bananas and rice which currently are being addressed separately. Pursuant to its mandate, President Jagdeo presents to colleague Heads of Government, firm proposals for repositioning the agricultural sector as set out in the attached Matrix.

Conference is invited to: Consider and agree on the applicability of the recommendations outlined at Section 4; Mandate the Ministers of Agriculture to deliver measurable results, within the shortest timeframe possible, at both the national and regional levels based on the following bench marks for the core group of institutions to;
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a. submit, to the Ministers of Agriculture, the revised Proposal within two months, based on the conclusions and decisions of Conference and a schedule of practical programmes and activities to carry the process forward; b. initiate the preparation of pre-feasibility reports, including preliminary budgets and responsibility charts for the further elaboration of the key specific interventions, particularly developing workable mechanisms for implementation, to specify, inter alia, the quantum of resources required to activate them, and the financial implications for individual Member States and as a Community. c. promote with appropriate development and commercial agencies and guided by the CDB, those activities that require funding; d. develop mechanisms to strengthen its executive and implementation capacity; e. submit in May 2005 the first report to Ministers of Agriculture for review and onward transmission to me, in my capacity as Lead Head for Agriculture. Request the Ministers of Agriculture to: a. continue the consultations with national stakeholders to for the buy in and ownership of the process and the details of the Proposal; and b. identify to the Secretariat a contact person within the Government who will be responsible for leading the process at the national level.

2:

Context:

CARICOM agri-food producers can expect more aggressive import competition since the Caribbean, as the rest of the developing world, represents the major growing markets for agri-food and agri-product exports from developed countries. Already, much of the decline in regionally sourced food supplies result is from increased imports, including imports of intermediate inputs into further processing. CARICOM agri-food/product exporters could also become more marginalized in world trade as the relative share and growth of processed agri-foods/products continue to increase. Indeed, every year, literally thousands of new agri-food products enter the markets of CARICOM countries major trading partners. Of significance is that products of CARICOM origin represented a negligible share. The agricultural sector in CARICOM countries could also expect increased pressures to provide for the Regions own food security and to impact positively on the obesity and related health problems of the regions population. While there have been improvements, the Region still faces a significant challenge in increasing the availability of fresh and nutritious foods that will ensure the food security, health, nutrition and even governance for generations to come. The implications of this for the Regions ability to participate in the growth segments of regional and international agri-food/product markets and a growing and unsustainable extra-regional food-import dependency are obvious, far reaching and potentially disastrous. Therefore the Region must embark on deliberate and concerted action to develop a modern, efficient and holistic agribusiness system. External and internal trade and policy developments, the rapid diffusion of technology and cross border growth of trade in services and investment make it imperative for all those in agriculture in countries of the Region to rapidly seize the opportunities which abound in Regional and international markets. This becomes even more imperative since international competitiveness and social and environmental sustainability are the overarching goals for agriculture as we move closer to the reality of a Single Economy under the CSME where the aim is Regional policies or policies which harmonise or converge and there is access to the total Regions resources. Consequently, progress within a CSME requires that we operationalise the Regional Transformation Program for Agriculture (RTP), through the articulation of clearly defined intervention programs that are aimed at surmounting the key binding constraints to agricultural development. The RTP continues to serve as
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the framework within which such an implementable program of action-oriented interventions can be accommodated. It is therefore imperative that the region seize the opportunity to reexamine, reinforce and realign our agricultural policies, objectives and measures. Realignment at the national level is an unavoidable and urgent imperative to catalyze agricultures adjustment, repositioning and growth. This is particularly so as non-trade concerns of food security and rural development continue to be as critical to agricultural development as issues of market access and competitiveness. To this end, this Proposal is geared towards the creation of an enabling economic and business environment for competitive and sustainable agricultural and rural development. It embodies the entire CARICOM agri-food/product system in a comprehensive and holistic manner thus avoiding the pitfalls associated with a narrow focus on specific sub-sectors. This strategy is also designed to open-up the full range of market synergies that lead to the creation of a sustainable and internationally competitive agriculture sector. In the context of the changed international environment and the binding constraints to competitive agriculture, it is even more imperative for agricultures participants to rapidly seize the available opportunities in regional and international markets. Consolidating these market opportunities within the next five years constitutes a reasonable window in which meaningful interventions could be contemplated.

3:

Key Binding Constraints and Need for Strategic Interventions

Through the previously indicated stakeholder consultations at the national level and workshops at the regional level1, the major key binding constraints to a dynamic and competitive agriculture sector across the Caribbean were identified. These key constraints span the range of resource inputs necessary for increased agricultural production and productivity to the facilitative administrative and institutional framework. The latter has become critical determinants of competitiveness. These constraints are not new, nor are they exhaustive. In fact for the most part they were already identified in the consultations preparatory to the development of the RTP. The more pressing constraints that emerged were as follows:
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Limited financing and inadequate levels of new investments; Deficient and uncoordinated risk management measures

This culminated in the Regional Agricultural Policy Workshop on Developing Policies and Proposals for Alleviating Key Binding Constraints to Agriculture in the Caribbean 6-8 December 2004, Trinidad and Tobago.

Fragmented and disorganized private sector; Inadequate research and development; Outdated and inefficient agricultural health and food safety (AHFS) systems; Weak land and water distribution and management systems; Inadequate transportation systems, particularly for perishables; Weak and non-integrated information and intelligence systems; Weak linkages and participation of producers in growth market segments Lack of skilled and quality human resources;

Given the new global imperatives, the need for a new response that consolidates, rationalizes, builds upon and reorients existing national, subregional and regional initiatives is well recognized. Additionally, this response is based on bold new steps and, most critically, collective efforts and actions. In the context of these binding constraints, this response seeks to articulate clearly defined and strategic interventions towards their alleviation. It must be emphasized that the recommended Proposal: 1. finds its legitimacy in the Regional Transformation of Agriculture (RTP), established through Articles 56 and 57 of the Revised Treaty which is premised on the harmonized regulations and convergence of policies across Member States. It is therefore fully complementary to and supportive of the RTP. 2. is not an attempt at a comprehensive reform of the RTP for Agriculture Rather, it recognizes that progress within a CSME requires that we operationalise the RTP, through the articulation of clearly defined intervention programs aimed at surmounting the key and immediate binding constraints to agricultural development while adjusting the policies as appropriate. 3. incorporates and builds on previous actions, such as, the Alliance for the Sustainable Development of Agriculture and the Rural Milieu (1998), the Caribbean Development Banks symposium on the Repositioning of Regional Agriculture (2002), the FAO Food Security Project (2003), the Regional Fisheries Management Programme and the OECS Policy and Plan of Action (2003/2004). It places all of these and other initiatives in an holistic, integrated and interrelated package in order to maximize the benefits emanating from these individual and non-coordinated efforts.
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4. does not attempt to treat with the traditional sub-sectors of sugar, bananas and rice which currently are being addressed separately.

4.

Recommended Programme of Interventions

In addressing remedial measures, the Proposal recognizes the need to adopt an approach which admits to and accommodates a wide range of interventions, some of which can more easily be considered as regional in nature while adding value to national initiatives. These include, but are not limited to: creating an enabling environment for business and private sector enterprise, including farmers; improving supply capacity and competitiveness; establishing and strengthening of private sector organizations; and refining the resource management capabilities for business and trade efficiency. The Proposal fully recognizes that some constraints would require greater intervention measures than others, and that in some instances a single intervention could positively impact more than one constraint. These recommended actions represent the first new set of actions that will operationalize the RTP and initiate the successful rejuvenation of agriculture. The recommendations, specific actions and the relationships to the identified constraints are presented in the Matrix at Appendix 1. Explicit reference to requisite national actions that are complementary to regional initiatives and the need for coordinated action within and between the public and private sectors is emphasized. This underscores the unavoidable and urgent imperative for realignment at the national level to catalyze agricultures adjustment, repositioning and growth, and importantly to give effect to supportive and complementary regional actions. The transition from the Recommended Programme of Intervention to strategic action areas and projects activities will require further prioritization and identification of key actors. This will be undertaken as soon as the proposed strategy is agreed In the following sub-sections, the major interventions are provided in four separate but interrelated groupings. A: Interventions that seek to facilitate and stimulate increased financing and to new investments into the sector are recommended as follows:
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4.1 Establish an Agricultural Modernization Fund (AMF) within and managed by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and taking into account the Regional Development Fund. This single intervention would positively impact more than one constraint. Areas addressed could included agricultural health and food safety systems, inadequacies in trade and marketing services (freight and export financing) and research and development systems (including innovative technologies), and risk management measures. Further, through the operation of a Business Incubator and Agribusiness Development Services Facility, that utilizes and builds on national capacity and linked to international agencies, such as, ProInvest. Commercial activities and entrepreneurship could be stimulated and expanded in areas, such as, agro-tourism, herbal and neutraceutical products and valueadded/diversified commodities (ethanol, snack foods etc). The Twenty-Fifth Meeting Conference had requested the CDB to join the IICAFAO-CARICOM team in exploring the establishment of such a fund, in the context of the Regional Development Fund, to facilitate the required investment in the agriculture and rural sectors. The details of the AMF, including a determination of an initial amount, sources of funds (including contributions from both the public and private sectors) and the criteria for access, are to be worked out. However the priority areas for its use could include natural disaster management, innovative technologies, strategic studies, and commercial activities emphasizing new and value-added products. 4.2 Determine the Regions agricultural and food requirements (demand and supply) as at 2005 and to 2015.

Conduct a study particularly to identify investment opportunities, including linkages to the tourism and hospitality sector that could be used as a basis for developing investment profiles for agriculture and rural development. The Twenty-Fifth Meeting of the Conference, while expressing concern at the high, rising and unsustainable regional food import bill, also recognized that that was an indication of investment possibilities in the Region. This proposed intervention seeks to establish the nature and scope of these investment possibilities and the resources that would be required to capitalize on same. B: The major Interventions to alleviate supply side limitations, the general uncompetitiveness of the regions agricultural products, with consequential low levels of participation in extra-regional and intraregional trade and weak inter-sectoral linkages are outlined as follows:

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4.3

Strengthen the legislative and regulatory trade framework.

This action would focus on the rationalization and consolidation of existing national infrastructure and services related to the agricultural health and food safety systems. It would address issues, such as, treatment of sensitive products, food safety, bio-safety and environmental laws and standards, including SPS, throughout the commodity chain. In this regard, operationalising the functions of the Caribbean Agricultural Health and Food Safety Agency (CAHFSA) and the development or consolidation of the national system must be accorded urgent consideration. 4.4 Strengthen the Research and Development (R&D) Capacity in the Region.

This should focus on the better utilization of the research capacity in the region to ensure coverage of the entire commodity chain, including improving coordination, integration and strengthening of the existing national and regional research systems provided by Universities, research centres and other institutions. This intervention would positively impact on the entrepreneurial capacity to capitalize on new investment opportunities, particularly within the new diversified agriculture, for example, alternative uses of sugar cane. Specific recommended actions in this regard are: to increase the level of financing for R&D activities, through, for example, funds provided from the AMF using the CARIFORUM Agribusiness Research and Training Fund (CARTF) model of task and demand driven and co-financed initiative; to establish/upgrade R&D modernized laboratories; facilities, particularly provision of

to implement mechanisms that facilitate increased application of new and appropriate technologies (eg; mechanization, Green House production); to provide adequate funding to the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI) and National Agricultural Research Institutes (NARIs).

C:

This set of interventions addresses the fragmented and unorganized private sector that gives rise to inefficiencies along the entire production-value-chain and the inadequacy of skilled human resources. These are primarily for the private sector to address but in some instances would require a collaborative approach. Included are: Mandatory business and farmer registration to, for example, facilitate financing and investment flows and the reduction of praedial larceny;
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4.5

Industry collaboration, financing and investment in areas such as R&D, GAP and HACCP protocols, transport infra-structure and training; Support to or development of, as appropriate, industry information systems and distribution channels. D: This final set of interventions provides for efficient land, water and natural disaster management. Provide incentives primarily for improved land and water management, through, inter alia, increased investment in water development (wells, ponds, other irrigation methods) and appropriate incentives, such as, reduction in the price of water for farm use and tax exemptions on water management related equipment and services. This will be further facilitated through the institution of land zoning and supported by improved taxation policy and land tax administration. Develop an integrated and coordinated regional approach to mitigation and relief. This relates to natural disasters, eg., hurricanes and floods, and those arising from trade and travel, eg. invasive species. A critical element of this proposal is the provision of incentives, insurance and other regimes that encourage and/or regulate the more efficient management and use of arable lands, water development and risk management, with a special focus of the latter on a multi-peril insurance scheme. With respect to natural disasters, a preliminary proposal prepared by IICA seeks to link and consolidate national and regional systems and technical capacity for early warning systems and management of relief efforts in agriculture. It also proposes the development of a multicommodity insurance facility linked to existing regional insurance industries. Given IFPRIs predictions of higher temperatures, accompanied by rising sea levels and more frequent occurrence of extreme weather events, such as, droughts, floods, and violent storms, and as evidenced by the plethora of serious hurricanes in 2004 and the unprecedented floods in Guyana in 2005, it becomes even more incumbent that the region take all necessary actions to activate, with greater urgency, this particular proposed action.

4.6

4.7

Other Considerations
In the process of developing the Proposal and seeking to prioritise the proposed interventions, the following were emphasized for continued attention:

4.8

Establish and Upgrade Freight and Port Infrastructure

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Establishing critical physical infrastructural requirements and services at the national (eg. ports, quarantine) and regional (eg. freight carriers) levels is an urgent requirement to facilitate expanded trade, particularly within the CSME. This intervention will be better informed through the conduct of a study on the total freight needs of CARICOM which should construct a transportation database, provide recommendations for improving transportation service efficiencies and identify areas for investment in infrastructure (port and freight) development. It is to be noted that this intervention is to receive the attention of the Ministers of Transport as mandated by the Special Meeting of the Conference. However its strategic importance to the successful development of agricultural trade within the region must be emphasized. 4.9 Upgrade Marketing Infrastructure and Services

As a complement to improved port facilities and services and more accurate realtime market intelligence and information, actions designed to strengthen the linkages and participation of producers/exporters in growth market segments (domestic, regional and extra-regional), will be a pre-requisite for efficient and expanded trade. Further, consolidating and strengthening marketing intelligence and information systems that disseminate accurate and real-time information for decision making will be a critical element of the facilitating marketing infrastructure and services. This is particularly with respect to market related developments, including investment, trade promotion and market and product developments are critical to facilitate efficient marketing and trade. In executing this action, it is further recommended that consideration be given to: evaluating the role of overseas services, including Embassies and Joint Overseas Intelligence Units; integrating and modernizing industry and national information systems and services; increasing investment in centralized packing houses, that incorporate internationally-accepted standards; optimizing opportunities for joint export promotion and marketing; facilitating access to Export-Import (EXIM) type financing; supporting initiatives that enhance the promotion, distribution, marketing and consumption of domestic production.

4.10

Companion support measures required of the public sector to address the fragmented and unorganized private sector would include: a) Realignment of the Ministries of Agriculture and related departments to better manage and facilitate the multifunctional/multidimensional nature of the new agriculture;
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b) Continued restructuring of the agricultural curricula of the university, tertiary, secondary and vocational institutions in order to ferment entrepreneurial thinking and consciousness. This is also, to develop a profile that is needed for the development of the new agriculture, especially by the private sector; 4.11 Traditional Agriculture Sub-Sectors

The traditional sub-sectors of sugar, bananas and rice in particular were reviewed in the context of initiatives currently being taken. It was agreed that these initiatives would continue to be treated separately.

5.

Follow-up and Implementation

In conclusion, it must be emphasized that this Proposal underscores the most critical areas for strategic and immediate intervention. It does not provide the details of the interventions. In endorsing the recommended programme of interventions, Conference is invited to: Consider and agree on the applicability of the recommendations outlined at Section 4; Mandate the Ministers of Agriculture to deliver measurable results, within the shortest timeframe possible, at both the national and regional levels based on the following bench marks for the core group of institutions to; a) submit, to the Ministers of Agriculture, the revised Proposal within two months, based on the conclusions and decisions of Conference and a schedule of practical programmes and activities to carry the process forward; b) initiate the preparation of pre-feasibility reports, including preliminary budgets and responsibility charts for the further elaboration of the key specific interventions, particularly developing workable mechanisms for implementation, to specify, inter alia, the quantum of resources required to activate them, and the financial implications for individual Member States and as a Community. c) promote with appropriate development and commercial agencies and guided by the CDB, those activities that require funding; d) develop mechanisms to implementation capacity; strengthen its executive and

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e) submit in May 2005 the first report to Ministers of Agriculture for review and onward transmission to me, in my capacity as Lead Head for Agriculture. Request the Ministers of Agriculture to: a) continue the consultations with national stakeholders for the buy in and ownership of the process and the details of the Proposal; and b) identify to the Secretariat a contact person within the Government who will be responsible for leading the process at the national level.

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Appendix 1

Matrix of Interventions to Alleviate to Key Binding Constraints to Agriculture

Specific Areas/ Actions Increase the Level of Financing and Investment in Agriculture A
Establish Agricultural Modernization Fund (AMF) taking into account the Regional Development Fund; Conduct study on CARICOMs Agri-Food Needs at 2005 to 2015 to identify investment opportunities (incl. tourism); Operate disaster fund within AMF. Provide incentives to general insurance firms to insure farm assets. Facilitate joint ventures at all levels of industry, especially in restaurant sector Adopt CARTF model to increase financing for R&D; Provide adequate funding for CARDI and NARIs. Provided funds from AMF to operationalise CAHFSA

Expand Supply Capacity and Improve Competitiveness

Address Fragmented and Unorganized Private Sector C

Mandatory farmer & business registration to facilitate channeling of financing and investment from AMF;

Improve Efficiency Natural Resources Management D

Key Constraints
Limited Financing and Inadequate New Investments

B
Increase investment in farm roads, drainage & factory shells and facilitate machine leasing strategy; Implement and expand CABEX type projects.

Deficient and uncoordinated risk management measures including Praedial Larceny

Support mandatory farmer and fresh produce trader registration

Fragmented and Unorganized Private Sector Inadequate Research & Development

Implement mechanisms that facilitate increased application of technologies, including machine leasing strategy Establish, upgrade, consolidate R&D facilities & infrastructure, esp. modernized laboratories; Strengthen the legislative and regulatory trade framework through establishment of CAHFSA

Develop multi-peril insurance scheme with regional insurance companies Also for Praedial Larceny

Increase industry collaboration and investment in research and infrastructure; Collective financing of GAP and HAACP protocols to improve industry competitiveness

Govt: prioritize and facilitate skills training;

Outdated and inefficient Agriculture Health and Food Safety Systems

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Matrix of Interventions to Alleviate to Key Binding Constraints to Agriculture

Specific Areas/ Actions Increase the Level of Financing and Investment in Agriculture A
Improved land tax policy and administration to facilitate investment.

Expand Supply Capacity and Improve Competitiveness

Address Fragmented and Unorganized Private Sector C

Improve Efficiency Natural Resources Management D

Incentives for improved water management, (incl. farmer training in water management; Institute land bank and zoning systems; Legislation for Land Tenure

Key Constraints
Inefficient land and water distribution and management systems

B
Develop wells, ponds, other water-sources, including drainage and irrigation services; Incentives for well & water management (inc. lower rates for farm water, duty free equipment etc);

Inadequate Transportation System, particularly for Perishables

Conduct study on total CARICOM freight needs to identify areas for investment

Establish and upgrade freight and port infrastructure and consolidate services

Weak and non-integrated Information and Intelligence Systems and Services

Consolidate and link national marketing intelligence and information systems; Evaluate the role of overseas services (eg. Embassies, Joint Intelligence Units) Facilitate access to EXIMtype financing. Establish Central Packing Houses; Strengthen opportunities for joint promotion and marketing;

Provide (invest in) freight service (physical transport and freight database) based on study findings Strengthen & link industry information systems

Marketing- weak linkages and participation in growth market segments;

Support national distribution channels.

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Matrix of Interventions to Alleviate to Key Binding Constraints to Agriculture

Specific Areas/ Actions Increase the Level of Financing and Investment in Agriculture A Expand Supply Capacity and Improve Competitiveness Address Fragmented and Unorganized Private Sector C
Support and engage in business management & industrial relations training;

Improve Efficiency Natural Resources Management D

Key Constraints
Lack of skilled (quantum/ quality) human resources

B
Expedite arrangements to facilitate labour mobility within region; Realign Ministries of Agriculture and related departments; Continued restructuring of agricultural curricula (secondary, vocational tertiary institutions)

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Appendix II Glossary of Terms

AHFS AMF CABEX CAHFSA CARDI CARTF CDB CSME EXIM FAO GAP HACCP IFPRI IICA NAHFSA OECS R&D RTP SPS

Agriculture Health and Food Safety Agriculture Modernisation Fund Caribbean AgriBusiness Export Club Caribbean Agriculture Health and Food Safety Agency Caribbean Agriculture Research Development Institute Cariforum Agri Business Research and Training Fund Caribbean Development Bank CARICOM Single Market and Economy Export/Import Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations Good Agriculture Practices Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points International Food and Policy Research Institute Inter American Institute for Co-operation in Agriculture National Agriculture Health and Food Safety Agency Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Research and Development Regional Transformation Programme for Agriculture Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary

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